I'd love a 480 but in the meantime I'm happy to blast away with my SRH Alaskan 44 mag Like others have stated the 357 does have a loud annoying crack to it while the 44 produces a more pleasant sounding BOOM, at least to my ears.

Badcompany,
First, let me say, Congratulations! Most newbies don't follow the advice to shoot a lot of guns before you decide to buy. You are in a small, wiser, minority and your patience and diligence will be rewarded.

Much of gun selection is based on what you plan to do with it, I assume you won't always be shooting at the rental range. It's all well and good to shoot a lot of guns; but, how about getting some exposure to the various shooting activities?

Do you live in an area where you can go shoot rats at the dump or are you restricted to organized ranges. There's also the handgun sports that vary from long distance slow and steady to close-up fast and furious. My gun club has the handgun crowd roughly separated into: black powder, silhouette, bullseye, combat and cowboy activities. Being a spectator can give you an idea of which seem more interesting and suit your personality. The different activities attract people with difference personalities and abilities. A cowboy match, with the contestants in old time garb may seem very cool to some and silly to others.

Over the years, it's been my experience that the people who are attracted a specific shooting sport have a lot in common with the other folks shooting that sport. I'm made life long friends on the shooting line. Of course, you may find an activity where they're mostly curmudgeons.

When you have an idea of what you want out of your shooting experience, then you'll get a better idea of what gun is best suited to your needs. Also, being a new shooter, there are some secondary factory involved in gun selection. For example, like many shooters I'm also a reloader: With the .45ACP I have the option of shooting my 1911-type pistol or a double action revolver with moon clips. Although both guns are sweet shooters, I'll usually select the revolver because it means I don't have to worry about finding my scattered brass on the ground.

Back to your question: unless you have a burning desire to have a cowboy gun in .45, a .357 mag is the obvious choice. I have both and I shoot the cowboy guns much less than the .357s. Of course, if I was into playing old time shooter, my choice would be different.

This email link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot access TFL via other means. If you are a TFL member and can access TFL, please do not use this link; instead, use the forums (like Questions, Suggestions, and Tech Support) or PM an appropriate mod or admin.

If you are experiencing difficulties posting in the Buy/Sell/Trade subforums of TFL, please read the "sticky" announcement threads at the top of the applicable subforum. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact "Shane Tuttle" (the mod for that portion of TFL) via Private Message for assistance.

This email contact address is not an "Ask the Firearms Expert" service. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.